Interview: Bradley Walden Talks New Emarosa Album + Music Trends + More

We were able to sit down with Bradley Walden, frontman of Emarosa, to discuss their new album Peach Club along with where the band is in their careers. It is by far their most diverse record and even branching from their traditional styles altogether. We are glad we got to dive in with him and pick his brain a little bit about one of the best records of the year so far and seems like it’ll hold up at the end of 2019 when everything else is out as well.

SLMAG: Bradley, thanks for sitting down to do this with us today. Congrats on the new record!

BW: My pleasure, I appreciate it. Nice to see people catching on.

SLMAG: Starting off with the name and imagery from an album art standpoint, where did the name Peach Club come from and what’s the concept for it? Also, the imagery seems to have this animated/Grand Theft Auto Vice City type of artwork going on with it, what is that all supposed to represent?

BW: Peach Club has kind of become its own entity. You’re either in the club or you’re not, you get it or you don’t. The specific name came from an inside joke with the band but when it was released people really grabbed onto the idea that it was this exclusive club of our fans and friends. I love that, I love being a part of these people who just get what we’re doing.

The artwork was another gem. We really chased the Patrick Nagel 80’s inspired art and put a modern spin on it that was unique to us which I think perfectly represents the album. We have this mostly 80s inspired album that definitely has the Emarosa spin and I love that we were able to visually create something that rode so close to the sound.

SLMAG: With this being the third Emarosa record with your voice on it, how have you seen yourself grow as a singer on Peach Club. Your voice seems to be strong on every record but as a singer, I’m sure there are things you wish you did differently or other nuances we don’t hear as the listener.

BW: To be honest I think I just keep getting better and better. I find my groove and I sit in, I just embrace whatever comes out. I’ve put the work in for a long time and I’m grateful people enjoy my voice but for me I’m always ready for what can I do next. With Peach Club, I was really able to lean into that pop sound that comes so naturally. I don’t think the album has been out long enough for me to hear things differently, although a lot of times I’ll change it up live here and there to keep it interesting.

SLMAG: Pigging backing off of the last question, you have had this soulful element on every record, it just seems now on this one musically, you were able to show it off more in that setting. What inspired this direction into the 80s revival/synth-pop vibe we hear, it seems to be the thing many are doing now, but I doubt following a trend or anything is the band’s style or what they want to do.

BW: Yea I don’t think we followed a trend by any means. It’s funny because this album was done almost a year ago and now we’re seeing this world of the 80s coming back and a retro vibe creeping in. I think history repeats itself, things come back around musically that were gone for a while. I think as musicians grow, their influences creep in and a lot of artists are embracing who they are, not worrying about anything other than what they’re creating. That was the case with us. I’m just thankful I get to be myself.

SLMAG: This record has 11 songs on it, but it also seems to fly right by each time we listen. Is there a certain order the songs were placed to where the listener got a great experience while it also not either dragging out or being over too quick?

BW: I think we intentionally went into this album without worrying too much about the order. It’s not a concept album, it’s absolutely an eclectic group of songs that stand on their own. I don’t think it’s an album that should “flow”. I think it’s a little choppy on purpose, I like that sometimes it takes you out of the album and lets you reset. We’ve always heard that our albums fly by. Maybe it’s time for a double LP.

SLMAG: Based on what you know now, what can we expect from Emarosa the rest of the Spring/Summer that you can talk about? Thanks again for doing this with us!

BW: Nothing yet that we can announce but we obviously have the full intention of touring Peach Club for the next 100 years. Appreciate your time!

If you haven’t purchased Peach Club yet, feel free to support Emarosa and scoop it up HERE.